Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-07-27
AGAIN IN PRISON.
Thrilling Story of the Escape of "Lifer;'
Gould Not Get Away.

LIQUID NOC 0eL away
The Hartford Times tells the follow
ing story of the attempted escape
from prison of g. poor fellow who had
served more than twenty-five years
on g. life sentence for murder:
'Perhaps | better begin at the be-
ginning and tell you the whole thing.
Monday afternoon I was painting on
the outside of q carriage shed. Clark
was st the gate talking to the gate
keeper. | went up to him and asked
him what time it was. He told me it
was about B o'clock. When / got
back to my work there was nobody
watching me at all. was working
alone. Clark was sixty or seventy
feet away from me and out OF sight.
The idea came into my head all OF q
sudden to run away. had had bet
ter chances to get away than | had
that day, but had rever improved
them by going. don't know just
what it was that started me, but it
was something, surely. left the shed
and went down quickly into the
marsh behind it, and then went over
the knoll which is next to it to the
east. In the marsh / could not see
the sentry box, but all the time l was
going over this knoll [ was In plain
sight Of it, and about $50 feet away.
The warden's son l knew was there,
armed with gun, and fully expect
ed shot from him; but l wasn't seen
even by him, and l thought my
chances of escape were good. Then [
went along on the outside Of g. piece
of rye near by, not through it, for |
knew / should leave my trail by do
ing so. struck along down, running
from the time quit the shed, through
brush and wood, as fast as L could
go, until [ reached the road leading
down to the dock. I walked across
the road, and as die so l saw two
men coming from toward the river
with guns on their shoulders, as if
hey had been hunting. Hurrying
along through the woods, in a bee
line, / came to some water where
there is g. kind of cove sets in from
the river. 1t was wide, and as I
would lose time by trying to go round
it. determined to swim it. / took
off my trousers, shoes and drawers,
and laid them on the bank. Then |
SWAN across with only my straw hat,
wrapper and overalls on. had gone
along into the field of high grass, when
[ heard the voices OF men whom [
knew were in pursuit Of me. [ laid
down in the grass. Soon I heard
shots fired. / saw four men, not Off
GERS, with guns. They were together
in single file, and they were shooting
through the tall grass to start me up.
But / didn't say anything. thinking
that If was found then I'd give up.
At one time those men were not fiji
teen feet from the place where | lay
looking at them. After q while the
shouts and firing we're heard farther
down, and l felt relieved, as they were
going away from where [ was. AS
dusk came on I knew something had
and barefooted, and the overalls were
torn. The brush bothered me so
that I determined to come back and
get some clothes. So | came up by
the road into town and walked
through Wethersfeld to the prison.
1t was about half-past 8 when |
walked along in front of the prison.
I kept on up TO the lot north OF the
white house on the corner, and then
went down along the south OF the
cove and passed the north prison
wall around to the carpenter shop on
the east side Of the prison. The win
dow was open and [ went in. | put
on pair of congress shoes, this blue
flannel coat, q pair of gray trousers
and these blue overalls over the
trousers. My other clothes were
down on the bank Of the little
stream, but I did not come back that
way. did not see q soul while was
on my way to the shop from the
road / went back to the road the
same way / came, and then walked
along the b orse railroad until I
reached the Folly. Then 1 followed
the track up to Colts, where I went
into Commerce Street. Thence [
went to the track again at Morgan
Street. It was just II O'Clock Mon
day night when got there. The cleo
trio light rather startled me for had
never seen one before. But | walked
along about my business and took
the track as far as Winsor. Before [
got to Winsor I met g. tramp rather
booty, and with him | traded hats,
which accounts for me having his
black derby. From Winsor Depot,
which | reached just as day was
breaking, [ walked along to Winsor
Locks. 1 didn't stop there at all, nor
anywhere else except where nobody
was IN sight. I walked up the hill
near the Winsor Locks Depotl
and kept along the river between it
and Sufield. Along about shutdown |
got to the ferry which goes to Thomp-
sonville. / had few pennies and
went across. When got to Thomp-
sonville was awful tired and lame.
I had had not mouthful to eat since
dinner at the prison, Monday noon.
I had walked constantly, and was un
acquainted with the country around
there. wanted to go TO Springfield.
went up to the depot about z
O'Clock, l guess, and sat down on
some baggage on the platform. Some
fellows, who knew I was tramping,
came up and good naturally asked
what my business was. / told them
T was q painter. One OF them at once